Cost conundrum exists for end-of-life care

2:17 PM,
Mar. 20, 2014

Written by

Madeline Campbell

In early 2006, while serving as Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon suffered a severe stroke. The 78-year-old was in surgery for seven hours, but neurologists eventually agreed that recovery from his brain hemorrhage was impossible. Nevertheless, he was kept alive with a feeding tube for nearly eight years.

The once-iconic leader was in a completely unresponsive vegetative state, yet had a private room, a private nurse and around-the-clock security. His medical treatment totaled more than $450,000 a year. To be "brain dead," Sharon would have had to have no activity in his brain ...